Before the Party
by riah alice drake
Summary: Just a quick Bal fanfic of what could have happened before and after the party at the end of D2.
1. Before the Party

"Just one more…." Evie mused as if to herself then smiled in triumph as she put the last finishing touch to the blue gold gown. "Evie…its beautiful." Mal smiled looking at herself in the full body mirror "Of course it is…Like I would let my best friend walk out to her future people in anything less?" the blue haired VK laughed opening the door to see her handy work from another vantage point.

"Yeah….Erm…I'll meet you up there okay?" Mal asked when she noticed the late arrival trying to slip unnoticed down the hallway.

"Sure, Okay." Evie shrugged busying herself in packing up the remnant scraps of fabrics and thread. "Just don't be late." She called as her best friend and VK sister sped quickly out into the hall.

Mal could tell just by the look on his face in the quick flash of his reflection in the mirror that something was incredibly wrong. She knew he was still upset about what had happened between them both on the island and their disastrous date. Even when he wouldn't say it outright. But this was something else entirely.

"Ben?" Mal called softly walking quickly to try and catch up with the King's long strides. "Ben, I…" she panted a bit out of breath as her boyfriend finally stopped when he reached the room designated as his changing room. "Mal?" the king answered stiffly as if in a far away daze but not taking his eyes from the door in front of him.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerned trying to touch his arm in reassurance when she noticed that despite his ramrod straight posture Ben was shaking. "I'm fine." He snapped harshly brushing her hand away from his arm as he leaned against the door heavily.

"Are you sick?" Mal asked really worried now as his shaking seemed to get worse. "I said I'm fine Mal." Ben snapped making the normally cool headed VK take several steps back when she heard a bit of the beast still clear in his soft tone. "I'm sorry I…. I just have to get ready." Ben insisted taking a shaking breath.

But before Mal could do more than rest a hand against Ben's back a worried voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Mal?!..."

"Mal there you are."

The purple haired VK turned as Carlos and Jane hurried down the corridor "What's wrong?" Mal wondered absently resting her hand on Jane's shoulder when the overly frantic girl nearly ran into her.

"What's wrong?! What's wrong is why aren't you up with Lumière?" Jane asked as Carlos rested a hand on her shoulder. "Breath Janie." He reminded her softly taking her hand reassuringly as Jane took a shaking breath.

Mal shook her head when Carlos's eyes sharpened at the pained look in her eyes when he'd gestured wordlessly to Mal to follow them back down the hall.

"Oh…yeah…. Just." Mal stammered looking back over her shoulder to avoid Carlos's probing gaze but mostly to check on Ben but found that he'd already retreated to the privacy of the suite while she'd been talking with Jane. "See you there then." She said weakly to the closed door before following the other two.

"Steps on the right," Jane instructed when they reached the landing. Not that she needed to seeing as a portly miniclade wearing man was already waiting for them.

"Nearly time." Cogsworth reminded them all snapping his pocket watch closed as Mal stopped short at his side. "twelve seconds to spare." The former mantel clock commented proudly holding out his hand toward Mal while Jane and Carlos headed down the other hall to take a short cut back to the party on the deck.

"Thanks," Mal whispered absently still worried about Ben's strange behavior as she let herself be lead up the steps to the second deck that would take her out to the party.


	2. After the Party

He finally managed to find his Island Princess (with a little help) safe and sound yet seemingly hiding out on the lower deck. Mal had sneakily slipped away while the young King had been overseeing that everyone on the top deck received a towel after the impromptu to dance party in the freezing ocean water they and the rest of the passengers had had to unwind after such a tense standoff argument with the daughter of the world's most feared sea witch.

Ben was sure she hadn't noticed him approaching at least not yet seeing as Mel hadn't looked over at the sound of his carpeted footfalls coming closer to her. She stood perfectly still with her arms crossed and resting on top of the polished wood of the ships railing her eyes fixed on the skyline over their heads as she took a deep breath of the sea air with an almost dream-like look of what he could see from his side view of her unfocused eyes.

Her dress was still smoking (even after all the playing and splashing around they'd done dancing in the water with the others) but only someone really paying attention to her (aka Him) would notice the tiny puffs of steam around the seemingly artistically burned edges of her dress.

The gown was beautiful on her now that the young king was taking the time to really look at her in it. Fitting over her form like a second skin but not enough to take away from the beauty that was just singularly Mal as if the dress was merely enhancing her own inner though somewhat chaotic and artistic beauty with its layered purple skirt and black lace embroidered front giving off a kind of punk rock vibe. The color only managing to enhance the green jade color of her far away staring eyes.

"Don't you know it's impolite to stair?" The purple haired VK joked still without taking her eyes away from the scenery "I mean you might be the King now Benny Boo, but I think even that principle still applies."

"Guess I have to work on my sneaking skills." Ben laughed his throat dry as sand at the moment when his Princess finally turned on her heels to face him properly now bathed both in the moonlight and the warm glow of the cabin lights along the walls beside them resting her back against the railing instead as her jade eyes found his hazel ones. "Not really easy to do when you still smell like wet fur." She commented with a teasing breath of a laugh that Ben couldn't help but join in on as her arms reached out toward him.

He stepped closer immediately not really caring that the moment he did Mal turned back to watching the water beneath them. Not even thinking to point out that Mal had stepped up onto the little running board along the bottom of the safety rail just so he wouldn't have to bend as much to rest his chin against her shoulder comfortably as he came up behind her letting her lean back into his chest if she wanted to as he hugged his arms around her shoulders and interweaving their hands together as they gripped the smooth surface of the safety railing while they drifted with the sway of the ship.

"I never really got a chance to thank you. For earlier."

"Oh yeah. Gifting stain glass portraits to our future Queens is kind of a royal tradition." Ben answered rather sheepishly "But I'm glad you liked it." He smiled "No…I mean I do. I love it. But that's not what I'm talking about right now." Mal rambled tilting her head back again his shoulder to meet his eyes bringing that surprisingly calming smell of burn fruit to his nose from her shampoo mixing with the still smoky scent lingering on her dress and hair after her she became his Mal again.

"Oh, so about that very recent time when you nearly gave me a heart attack disappearing in a puff of purple smoke after seeing you with an incredibly angry look on your beautiful face only to reappear seconds later as a striking, still angry and fire-breathing dragon?" the young king questioned unable to hold back a smile. "Is that what you're referring too?" Mal was chewing on her lip as she nodded

"Hey, I know I did wrong every time I have used magic in our relationship but even that doesn't take away from the fact the only one Ever allowed to put Any kind of spell on you is me." Mal defended that adorable snarky tone coming back into her tone as her eyes flashed that hardened glowing shade of jade green once again before she turned hiding a blush against his neck.

"Careful Mal or you'll end up have smoke coming out your nose then Evie will be all upset that you messed up your make up," Ben commented sarcastically hearing a low simmering growl in her voice. "But just be glad that at least this time I didn't break into a big song and dance routine like that time you gave me that cookie." He mused tightening his hold around her waist.

"Oh man, that was so adorably bad when you did that. Cause no offense Benny Bear but you can't dance." Mal remembered her jealous growl turning to a soft purr of gentle laughter. "But getting back to us showing our more animal selves I think I remember you letting out quite the beastly roar after I went all purple scaly and flying around trying to fight off Shrimpy the party crashing boyfriend stealing sea octopus." Mal pointed out jealously returning to her tone as her arms pulled Ben closer along her back welcoming his warmth against the chill of the night air.

"I think I did alright when everyone was dancing in the water up on the top deck." The young Royal defended but still nodding in agreement anyway. "No need for name calling Mal." Ben sighed against her hair nuzzling his face along her neck just enjoying these stolen moments where he could just be himself with his girlfriend. "And I had already tried to invite her before she spelled me." He admitted softly.

"But talking of Uma." Mal wasn't fast enough to hold back a low simmering growl at the name but Ben pressed on his hands tightening around her as he hurried on. "Because of that spell, I wasn't formally able to dance with my girl." The King explained taking several steps away from the now nervous teenage girl clinging onto the ship's railing for all her worth. "So, I was wondering if you would give me the honor of making that up to you."

Mal turned toward him her eyes already swimming with unshed tears as she stared at him while he dipped into a low curious bow before holding out his hand to her. "If the Evie and the boys are hiding out around the corner or something and start singing while we do this I'm not talking to you for the next month." The young sorceress warned with a wink as her fingers laced with Ben's effortlessly as his other hand slid around to her back, "Well if anyone does I will be without my knowledge or royal permission and will be punishable however you deem fit." the young King promised leading them in simple box step to the simple rhythm of their combine heartbeats and the gentle waves beating against the side of the ship.

Neither of them noticing that Dude was still laying down at the start of the alcove they'd been hiding in thumping his tail against the carpeted floor in time with their movements as the dog hummed a slow song to himself "Humph silly in love humans." Dude yawned resting his head on his outstretched paws as he kept guard over the quiet moment like the good dog he was.


End file.
